Nashville's July 4 celebration "Let Freedom Sing!" carried on despite the rainy weather on Thursday night.The Band Perry, Keb' Mo' and Striking Matches performed for an enthusiastic crowd, and the city's celebrated fireworks display lit up the stormy skies.

A Grammy-winning blues musician, one of country music’s hottest trios, the reinvigorated Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the largest and longest fireworks display in Nashville’s history are just some of the offerings on tap at this year’s Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4 celebration Thursday in downtown Nashville.

“This is a chance to elevate Nashville as an event destination,” says Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “(We’re) competing with Boston, New York and D.C. We may never overtake them as top July 4 (celebration), but it won’t be for lack of trying. And the nice thing is all of them are concentrated in the Northeast, so that gives us a lot of real estate to capture visitation from.”

This year, police estimate 140,000 to 150,000 people will pack the riverfront and Lower Broadway for the free Independence Day celebration, which kicks off at noon with the first band on the Nashville Dancin’ Stage in Riverfront Park and a Family Fun Zone at the Lawn at Riverfront Park with inflatables and games.

Music will switch back and forth between two stages throughout the day. The Band Perry will headline the official concert, which starts at 7 p.m. Keb’ Mo’ and Striking Matches will open the show.

“There was an intent to try and elevate the level of talent in terms of current popularity,” Spyridon says. “Then we got a little lucky with The Band Perry’s string of hits.”